Until the Tide Carries Me Away
by TaikoTurtle
Summary: Santana is left floundering about after Brittany is gone, but she meets Quinn in a most unexpected way. AU futurefic? Quinntana Rated M for language.
1. Chapter 1

**This is an AU futurefic and my first venture into Glee fiction. It's kind of a weird concept but give it a chance, and if you don't like it, well, it is going to be a short story so no worries! I have no beta, so feedback and critiques would be most appreciated!**

**Until the Tide Carries Me Away**

Chapter 1

It had been a whole six months since Brittany and her had gone their separate ways, but it felt like it had just happened yesterday. The imagery of Brittany's broken face as she closed the door behind her was fresh in her mind, burned and imprinted like a glaring tattoo that would take years to remove. She never wanted Brittany to leave, but when the blonde had told her about the development in her friendship with Mike Chang, there was no other choice.

Apparently they were both dance instructors at a studio near Cal State Long Beach, where the arts were thriving and the location was picturesque. Both Brittany and Santana had studied at separate colleges, the former studying modern dance and rhythmic analysis, while the latter studying business and economics. Brittany had gone there to study, and Santana followed, so the two had a small apartment in the area. After graduating, Brittany found work almost immediately, but it took Santana a month or so to find something of her own.

Things were going fine. Every day was filled with its ups and downs, sometimes with Brittany coming home late after working extra hours to help a student, or Santana would be stuck in the office doing more paperwork for the company, but at the end of the day, they had each other and that's what mattered. That's all that mattered to Santana.

Brittany was her shining light.

Santana knew that Mike Chang worked at the same studio as Brittany, that was how she got the job, but she didn't think anything of it. She never _thought_ she would have to think about it. But then one day while they were sitting on their cream-colored sofa in their modest apartment, her world fractured.

"_Today, we helped this girl learn how to whack and a few voguing basics. It was totally fun," exclaimed Brittany as she was animating her words with some dancing gestures._

_Santana looked to her enthusiastic girlfriend and couldn't help but smile. The blonde loved dancing, and there was nothing else that lit up her face more than retelling how she was able to share her love of the art with another person._

"_And then even though the time for the lesson was up, Mike stayed afterwards to teach the girl another trick called the kick ball change, which is kind of not even related at all to whacking. She wasn't very good at it though because when she moved, she reminded me of a drunken kangaroo on roller skates, but Mike tried his best. He's so nice and helpful; I totally love him."_

_At the later confession, Santana stiffened in place and her full attention was shifted to Brittany. She put down the magazine that she had only been half reading while listening to her energetic girlfriend recount her day. She remained calm, because normally Brittany didn't dislike anybody, but she just had to be sure of what she meant._

"_That sounds really nice and all Brit, and I'm glad you had a fun day, but when you say you love him, you only love him like a friend, right?"_

_Her words were timid but unwavering so as not to betray any of her feelings. Brittany just smiled her cheerful smile that could light up the darkest of rooms._

"_Oh I had the best of all best days San! And of course! I love him how I love you silly! My best friend of all time, duh."_

_All of her insecurities and fears that she had had in high school but left behind were now beginning to surface, and Santana was trying not to let them get the best of her. She thought she was beyond those things, and thought they had been locked away forever, but here they were, threatening to rear their ugly heads, and now she was beginning to think that her worst nightmare was now no longer just that. Her cheeks were flush and her breathing was getting shallower as she spoke._

"_But… but Brittany, how you love me and how you love Mike is different. He's just your friend, but I'm your _girlfriend_, okay?"_

_Brittany shook her head, her forehead now starting to scrunch in concentration. The creases of confusion usually were adorable to Santana, but at this moment, they were nothing more than signs of her future crumbling before her eyes. Brittany knew this, and her tone softened._

"_No… I love you both the same, because you're both my absolute best friends in my life. Should it really feel different San? Because… because it actually doesn't, and now that you mention it that way, it's kind of starting to scare me now."_

_Hopelessness and anger was beginning to boil in her veins, running rampant through her body and assaulting her senses. She knew this wasn't Brittany's fault, because she knew the blonde just loved too much, but it didn't mean that this turn of events didn't hurt any less. Her knuckles went white from clenching so hard, her nails digging deep into her palms leaving deep impressions. A few tears started to fall from her cheeks and silently paved their way down her flawless complexion. _

"_San… say something. Did I do something wrong?"_

_Santana gritted her teeth, the tears now streaming down her face uncontrollably as she silently felt her heart constrict. _

"_Santana…"_

_Brittany's words were so soft and gentle that it caused the dark-haired girl to look up and into her blue eyes. They were silent for a few moments before her hushed voice spoke again._

"…_What does this mean?"_

And so after trying to talk it out continuously for weeks on end, Santana knew that she had to let Brittany go because she understood how her best friend was and the way her mind worked. From how she was describing her feelings, Santana knew she was no longer the one that fully occupied her heart, and she had to leave and figure things out with Mike. After trying to explain to Brittany why the blonde could no longer stay in the apartment, the blonde seemed to begin to grasp what was going on, and so she agreed to give her space. The most heartbreaking part was watching Brittany's belongings slowly trickle out until she herself was the last to go. Those blue eyes that made her feel like she was lost in an endless, beautiful sky disappeared, and she no longer knew what she was going to do with her life.

"Fuck!"

Santana kicked a pebble with her foot as she walked along the sandy tides of Seal Beach, not caring at all for the angry looks that were sent her way from parents who did not approve of her language around young, ocean-going kids. Her Marc Jacob boots were in hand as she traversed down the beach where the waves just barely reached up on the shore as the setting sun cast a warm glow across the sky.

She was still frustrated with her life, not knowing if letting Brittany go was the best idea, as she had been wrestling with the "what if" question for the past while now. Brittany had left a few voicemails on her machine a couple of months ago saying that she had actually moved in with Mike, but things were not exactly the same because she missed her other best friend. Santana didn't know how to react to the message, but anger and spite had surged through her system making her seethe furiously, mainly because of the fact that she had become the _other_. But in the end, she would always calm herself down because she knew that it wasn't necessarily Brittany's entire fault; perhaps she had messed up somewhere down the line.

She sat down on drier sand further up the beach and ran a hand through her long, wind-blown hair.

"Maybe I should have tried harder," she muttered to herself.

Picking up a handful of sand, she let the grains sift through her fingers like a broken hourglass.

"Not like she needs me now though. She seems to be fine with Mike," she said to herself again.

A little chubby boy holding an ice cream cone with chocolate smeared across his pudgy mouth was looking at her.

"Why're ya talkin' to yourself old lady?" he asked curiously.

Santana frowned and glared daggers at the kid, "Well would you look at that. The circus must be in town, because I believe that I am, in fact, staring at their show's star elephant."

The kid's eyebrows upturned as soon as he registered the insult and his eyes glistened with the sure sign of impending tears. He ran away, sniffling and calling out for his mom, drops of melted ice cream falling in his wake.

"Way to go Lopez, you've hit a new low," she mumbled to herself.

Had it really come to this? Insulting tiny children and snapping at whichever unlucky soul that happened to come across her path?

The sun was sinking further into the ocean as the warm crimson sky transitioned into a cooler, muted, navy blue color. The waters were sparkling their last shine as the streetlamps that were lining the street further up crackled to life.

She stood up and dusted the sand off her rolled up denim jeans and continued to stroll aimlessly down the beach. There was nothing necessarily in her life right now that she was reaching for, because her goals had all revolved around Brittany. Starting a relationship, having a home, heck, even starting a family with kids was a thought that had been gestating in her mind for some time. But now, all she had was work at the office.

The worst part was that she also no longer had any family to care for either. Her parents had been fine with her relationship with Brittany, but on an unfortunate New Year's Eve party a couple of years ago that her parents had been returning home from, a drunk driver had hit them, and nobody survived from the burning wreck. It devastated Santana, as well as her grandmother, but her abuelita had cut ties with her and they did not speak about the event or to each other. Even after going to the funeral, they made eye contact a few times, and Santana had wanted nothing more than to go to her and make amends because she was the one family who had ever meant anything to her. She had started walking her way, but her abuelita already had tears in her eyes, as she shook her head 'no.' It was such a simple gesture that crushed her more than most words could ever manage.

And that was it.

Santana made her way to the Belmont Pier and was walking down the long wooden path, wandering on with heavy steps and an empty heart. She really had no idea how to proceed with her life, and when she peered over the edge of one of the railings, she studied her vague reflection in the turbulent waters below.

There wasn't anybody around, due to it being later in the day and most of the families were either going home, or they had stayed on the beach further down the sandy shores. Usually the pier would be teeming with fisherman, but tonight, the pier was as lacking as her spirit. Her lonely reflection was staring back at her, and she had never felt so alone, but before she knew it, her soft voice began to slip through her lips in a melancholic tone. She truthfully loved singing more than even the Cheerios back in high school, and she often found herself singing when she was down.

It was a verse from the Adele mashup that the Troubletones did back in high school, and while it had crossed her mind then and caused an unnecessary panic, it fully hit home now, because the words actually had meaning behind them. They no longer represented her fears of what could be, but rather her anguish over what had actually come to pass. Her melodies were hushed and wistful as she sang the tune for herself while reminiscing of the times when she was a happier.

As she was singing, her eyes still trained on the water below, she noticed an odd bubbling that was out of place with the lapping waves. She squinted oddly, but continued to sing as a glimmer of something golden caught her attention.

A shorthaired, blonde head poked up from beneath the shifting waters and a set of incredibly intense, hazel green eyes peered up at her. She was barely bobbing above the surface of the water, her creamy, delicate pale skin shimmering in the now moonlight, as the sun had fully set a few moments ago. Only her neck and above was exposed, but she was staring at Santana with an odd, curious look, yet still maintained a guarded expression.

Santana trailed off in her melodies and stop singing, incredibly confused as to why some random girl, who happened to be swimming by, would be looking up at her. Granted, the mysterious blonde girl was insanely beautiful, and definitely gave Brittany a run for her money, but now was not the time. The incessant anger that seemed to have set up camp in the pit of her stomach flared up.

"Take a freaking picture, why don't you. It'll last longer," she spat.

The blonde retreated back into the water a few inches, but kept her eyes trained on Santana. Her face did not flinch too much, so when she rose back up with her head and neck above water, she spoke softly with such a sickeningly sweet voice that any boy would go weak in the knees over.

"Were you the one who was just singing?"

Santana looked around to the empty pier and rolled her eyes sarcastically, "What ever gave you _that_ idea, lemon head?"

"You have a beautiful voice," she replied instantly.

Santana's breath caught in her throat from the spontaneous compliment and a blush snuck its way onto her cheeks before she could even help it. She scowled inwardly after regaining her composure and waved her hand in a dismissive manner.

"Whatever. I'm out of here," she growled.

She began to walk back along the pier towards the main road, and noticed that the girl in the water was swimming alongside, but kept her head low as if she did not want to be noticed. Santana pretended not to care, but it was irking her beyond belief until she was snapped out of her thoughts when the charming voice spoke again.

"Won't you sing for me again, pretty lady?"

Upon hearing more flattery, Santana snapped over to the railing and howled out below.

"Go shower someone else with your empty compliments before I have to strangle you so hard that the obnoxious bleach in your hair squeezes out."

Santana actually thought the girl had stunning golden hair, but she had to say something to get the annoying water-going girl to leave her alone. And it seemed to do the trick, as Santana had reached the end of where the water hit the shore and the girl stopped following her. She smiled smugly to herself until she heard the faintest word uttered from behind her: _bitch_.

She had been called that word many times before, but for some reason, maybe it was because the girl was so beautiful, or perhaps because the voice was so sweet yet held so much venom, Santana stopped dead in her tracks and frowned deeply.

"Oh _hell_ no. She did not just say what I think she said."

Stomping around the railing and rushing onto the sand, she ran towards the girl in the water and went underneath the pier. It was incredibly dark, as the dimly lit streetlamps from the main road scarcely reached that location under the pier. She rushed up to the water's edge and yelled out to the retreating blonde head.

"Why don't you come say that to my face again, huh, miss chicken of the sea? You think you can call me a bitch, and then just wander back off into the water like you're the fucking Queen of England?"

The blonde head stopped moving, as if she were contemplating something, before she turned around and slowly waded back to Santana, but she didn't get too close. Instead, she kept her distance, but this time with her shoulders and above exposed. The more smooth, pearly white skin that Santana saw, the more she started to regret calling her out, because she was so damn breathtaking, and she didn't know if she could trust herself to speak coherently, no matter how angry she was at this person.

The blonde studied her with her hazel eyes and she smirked, "For someone who has such a lovely voice, your attitude is rather disgusting, much akin to a clump of rotting seaweed. Maybe you should get that fixed so that one day, you won't have to sing alone, but at the rate you're going, I'd say you have a sad little future with a large home and nothing to fill it but yourself and a bunch of pets."

She shrugged and some water trickled down her pristine shoulders.

"Pity."

And with that, she turned back around and started to swim back out to sea. Santana was at a loss for words because she was still filled with a little annoyance, but that irritation was actually dying down since she also knew that the girl had a point. Just because she was angry with herself didn't mean that she needed to take it out on everybody else for the rest of her life.

"Wait!"

Before she knew it, the word had slipped out of Santana's mouth and the blonde head that was bobbing in the water hesitated. She didn't know why she called out to her, because honestly it didn't matter if this girl swam out of her life right this instance, but some part of her didn't want the blonde to leave. Maybe it was a momentary lack of judgment. Or fuck it; maybe she just had a thing for blondes.

"Look, I'm – I'm sorry okay? Just come back here for a second and we can… uh, talk or something. I don't know, I'm not too good with this talking shit since I have better uses for my mouth and maybe I'm not the best with dealing with emotions, but oh my _God_, can you just get out of the water for a second so I don't feel like I'm talking to a goddamn mermaid or something?"

The blonde's eyebrow quirked up, "You got a problem with things that like to swim?" She was slowly drifting back towards the shore as each gentle push of the tide ushered her closer and closer.

Santana ran her hand through her dark hair and sighed, "No, of course not. But like, as much as I love swimming and tanning, though mostly to amaze the ladies with my hot bod, I would rather talk to someone who isn't floating around like a washed up piece of soggy driftwood most likely as wrinkly and unattractive as a nasty ass prune, okay?"

The blonde chuckled, her musical laugh soothing Santana's already dying annoyance.

"If you're asking me to come out of the water, I'm not going to do that. Not now, not ever."

Santana scowled again. What the fuck was her problem? The blonde however, seemed unperturbed and continued to speak on casually with an actual bit of sarcasm in her voice.

"You know, if you scowl like that all day then maybe your face will get stuck that way, and maybe _then_ your outsides will match your insides."

Instead of frowning deeper, Santana actually cracked a smile. She didn't know whether she liked or hated this girl but she was at least entertaining her now. She realized then that this was partially what she had been missing out on; a friend. Ever since Brittany had left, she hadn't really talked to anybody else because, well, there was nobody to talk to. Her coworkers were complete shitheads, and she was a callous jerk to them anyways due to her emotional rampage, so she didn't talk to anybody. The only other person whom she talked to on occasion and kept in contact with was Sam Evans, but she actually felt guilty when she realized she had practically talked him into a coma from unloading all her rants and anger onto him, so she tried to limit her calls to him, but she knew he had her back if she ever needed him.

She crouched down on the sand and looked straight into the blonde's stunning hazel eyes, and tried her best not to look at the perfectly shaped collarbone or the flawless skin that accompanied it.

"What's your name?" asked Santana.

The blonde looked at her and then looked off into the sky as if she hadn't heard the question.

Santana exhaled exasperatedly and then spoke a bit louder, "I said, what's your name?"

"Will you sing for me again?"

Santana blinked dumbly in silence, as her question was obviously disregarded. She started to frown, but the blonde raised an all-knowing eyebrow at her and Santana caught herself in mid-expression. She sighed heavily and contemplated a few things. Throwing a rock at the blonde was one of those things, but instead she opted to just go along with it and sing something for the mysterious girl.

This time, the melodic tune that drifted from her mouth carried a lighter, more hopeful tune. It was a snippet from a Bruno Mars song that she had heard on the radio a few days ago and was stuck in her head, so it was the first thing that popped into her mind.

She sang with emotion behind each word, and although she closed her eyes at a few key points, she did direct most of her eye contact and energy at the blonde floating in the water, who, seemed to be rather enjoying herself at the moment.

She had closed her eyes as soon as Santana had started to sing, and was now just enjoying the music that was enveloping her senses. The way she was so entranced by the tune, and how the moonlight made her look a little _too_ attractive, made Santana's heart skip a beat and she stopped singing abruptly.

When her voice stopped, the blonde opened her eyes, a little bit disappointed that the song did not resolve, but she smiled her elegant smile and began to retreat back to deeper water.

Santana found her voice after a few seconds and choked a bit before calling out to her hoarsely, "Wait, where are you going?"

"Quinn," she replied.

Santana's face screwed into an extremely confused expression, "Excuse me?"

The blonde's laugh was singsong while she replied, "My name is Quinn, and if you're lucky enough, I like to swim around here most nights after the sun goes down."

Still incredibly confused, Santana was about to question her, but then the girl winked and then vanished underwater. Santana's eyes went wide at the sight and almost thought the girl had drowned, but after seeing no trace of bubbles, or a floating body after a good several minutes, she was beginning to think that she had imagined the whole thing. The girl had definitely gone underwater, but was showing no signs of surfacing.

After rubbing her eyes and going back to her empty apartment, she took a long, hot shower and recounted the night's events. She didn't understand a good amount of the later portion of what had happened, but what she did know was that she wanted to see the blonde again.

_Quinn_, she thought, _Quinn is her name. A fucking goddess in the water and all I know is her name, she loves my voice, and she may have been in my imagination. Whoop-dee-fucking-doo._

But that night when she had gone to sleep, for the first time in months, it wasn't Brittany who occupied her thoughts, and when she went back to the beach and to the cool sands underneath the pier after sundown, a tentative blonde head poked up from beneath the water. It was the same trademark golden hair that she could have spotted from a mile away, and she could have _sworn_ that she saw something glimmer in the water like scales, and then suddenly it all made sense.

Santana thought she was going crazy, because these kinds of things only existed in fairy tales. But then again, life was already fucked up as it was, so whether she truly believed it or not, she decided to just go with it because she needed to be entertained, and this was one hell of a distraction.

Quinn perfect features were illuminated by the glow of the moonlight, a devious smirk dancing across her face.

"Hello, pretty lady."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you everybody for being so patient! Originally the story was going to be a one-shot, but it's turned into a two-chapter deal for some reason. Either way, pardon the small chapter ending, and thanks for reading!**

Chapter 2

For the past week, every evening without fail, Santana had gone to where the sea met the shore underneath the pier to visit Quinn Fabray.

It had started off as curiosity. Sure Quinn was gorgeous, but there was something about her that drew Santana in. She had these certain expectations and stereotypes built up in her head of what she thought mermaids were her whole life thanks to a wide assortment of horrible movies and cheesy television shows, but Quinn was a far cry from those fairytales, and every time she would listen to Santana ramble on about her life, the fiery Latina could feel the emotional burden lift off her shoulders, whether she realized it or not. Going to the water and talking with Quinn had become almost a therapeutic thing for her, and a few days in, all Santana would think about while at work was when the clock would run out so that she could finally get to the sea to speak with the blonde beauty. However, there were many things that she still did not know about Quinn. In fact, there were many aspects to the mermaid that were still a mystery, because it had always been Santana doing the talking, until on one Tuesday night, she got curious.

Santana was sitting on the cold, soft sand beneath the pier eating some ice cream, even though it was rather chilly and breezy outside. Quinn was floating off close by in the water, her golden head bobbing up and down in the water, as she watched her eat her frozen treat. She had previously been talking about the crappy day she had had at work, and all of the papers that she needed to file and all the forms that still needed reviewing, but decided to change the subject.

Taking a bite of the chilly dessert treat, Santana licked her lips, "So Quinn, you always hear every exciting story of my life, but I don't know anything about you; what's the deal, huh?"

Quinn was floating in the water and looking absentmindedly at her fingernails as she shrugged, "It's nothing too thrilling, trust me."

Santana smirked sarcastically, "Thanks a bunch blondie, I think I just learned absolutely jack shit from what you just told me; very insightful."

She took another bite of her ice cream and shivered from the brief brain freeze before continuing on seriously, "I tell you everything about my depressing-ass life, every crappy detail of my day, and while I do appreciate you letting me talk your damn ear off, I want to hear about you for once. So don't give me none of that 'I'm so mysterious' shit. You're a fucking mermaid for Christ's sake, and as far as us humans go, you guys are _supposed_ to be figments of our imagination. You're not supposed to exist."

Quinn rolled her eyes, her mouth tugging up in a small, amused grin. She shook her head and chuckled, "Well it's not my fault that you land dwellers are not the brightest people."

Santana scoffed, "Yeah, well, you're not the one who's living up here, so you don't have to suffer like I do. I needs me some excitement, alright?"

The blonde went back to examining her nails nonchalantly, "Fair enough. What did you want to know?"

Santana finished up her ice cream as her eyebrows furrowed contemplatively. She hadn't actually expected Quinn to take her up on her offer, so she didn't have a question lined up. The gentle sound of the waves breaching the shore broke up the monotonous silence lingering in the air as Santana thought to herself before snapping her fingers with a sudden epiphany.

"I got it!" she said, her eyes bright with realization, "What's it like…" she paused for dramatic effect as Quinn leaned in a bit closer, "… to have sex."

Quinn narrowed her eyes in a scrutinizing fashion.

"What?" Santana exclaimed as she threw up her arms before crossing them firmly across her chest, "It's totally a valid question, because ya'll have those ridiculous tails, and quite honestly, I have no idea how you guys would enjoy making babies if you have nowhere to put it. And don't give me that look because I'm just being real here."

Quinn's eyebrow quirked up, her facial expression still deadpan as she replied, "If you really wanted to know, we look into a male's eyes and he becomes pregnant, and gives birth much like a pet seahorse does."

Santana's eyes widened in disbelief, "No contact at all? What kind of sexy time is that?"

The blonde laughed, "Naw, I'm just messing with you. It's actually a common misconception, but our tails don't really start forming until further past our waist, so we do have a uh… 'place to put it,' as you so eloquently described."

The Latina at first didn't register it, but as soon as she realized the joke, she burst out into laughter, "Way to fuck with me Fabray. For a second I thought you guys seriously did some kind of weird kinky shit or something, but it's good to know that you do it the same way we do up here because it's the best feeling ever."

Quinn tilted her head, "Oh?" she grinned deviously, "And do you have a mate to go home to at night?"

Santana's expression immediately faltered, her smile disappearing in an instant. Her shoulders slumped as the thought of Brittany flashed through her mind. She had told everything about her life to Quinn _except_ Brittany. She had told her all about her life in high school, her life growing up, her college life, and even her day in and day out life at work, however she had always avoided specifically mentioning the blonde in her stories, but now that it was being brought up, she thought she may as well talk about it. Talking about it was the first step to recovery, right?

Sensing the hesitation, Quinn's smirk began to wane, "Look, I'm sorry if I hit a bad memory or anything, but you don't have to tell me if you don't want –"

"No," Santana croaked, her interjection taking her some effort, "it's fine, really. She – her name was Brittany."

Quinn tilted her head, her stoic gaze unfaltering, "A girl? I thought it was standard for most humans to have a mate of the opposite sex up there, if I'm not mistaken."

Santana nodded, "Yeah, well you're right. Liking someone of the same sex up here is severely frowned upon, depending on where you live. It's a bunch of bullshit sometimes I think."

The blonde shrugged her shoulders, "Your guys' customs are peculiar. Down here it's perfectly normal for that to happen, and nobody gives it a second thought."

The dark haired girl laughed bitterly, "Fuck, try living up here and see how you like it."

"I can, you know," Quinn said softly, "live up there with you if you wanted. Mermaids can easily go onto land and shed their tails for a small period of time, but if we stay on land for too long it becomes permanent and we can never return to the sea."

A brief silence passed between them before Quinn stammered, "Uh, anyways… sorry for the rude interruption, go on."

Santana sighed, "Well I _did_ have someone, but she's been gone for a while now. I… I honestly still don't know where we stand anymore, but basically she's somewhere else now sorting things out, but she hasn't tried to contact me back, and she potentially has found someone else, and it hurt, it really did fucking hurt."

"And how does it feel now?"

Santana opened her mouth, ready to immediately reply with a snarky, 'how do you think it feels,' but for some reason, talking about Brittany didn't hurt as much as she thought it would. The words got caught her throat, unable to pass her lips. Maybe she had just hit such a low, that nothing hurt anymore, or maybe, it was a long shot, but perhaps time really was healing shit.

"I don't know," she replied faintly.

Quinn looked up at the normally brash, independent girl and saw uncertainty uncharacteristically painted across her features. It was unsettling, to say the least, but Santana just cleared her throat and cast a sideways glance downwards to study the sand instead.

She picked up a handful of grains, letting them trickle between her grasp back onto the ground before speaking up, "Tell me more about your life Quinn. Anything."

The blonde's sympathetic gaze softened. An idea crossed her mind, "I'm normally distrustful of humans, but…" She began to swim closer to Santana, more of her skin becoming exposed as she closed the distance, "… I think I can make an exception."

Santana watched as the mermaid came closer and closer, until she was just up to the shore itself. She felt herself blushing furiously as Quinn's upper body became exposed, her full breasts and _extremely_ tantalizing figure coming into full view.

"W-wait, what the hell are you doing?" Santana spluttered.

Within a few moments of approaching the shore, Quinn emerged from the ocean, beads of water trickling down her pale soft skin as the glimmer of scales from her lower half began to fade away into a complete pair of legs. She scooted up to sit next to Santana, who was now incredibly self-conscious and now hyper sensitive due to the fact that there was a very attractive, incredibly naked girl next to her. Her heart hammered in the depths of her chest threatening to break free with the frequency of each powerful tremor. Santana's breath caught in her throat as she felt an icy cold arm sling around her shoulder in a vague attempt at what seemed to be a hug, but all she could focus on was trying not to stare at Quinn's gorgeous, bare body and the uncomfortably escalating arousal.

The blonde rested her head on Santana's shoulder as she continued to hug her loosely.

"I once had a mate too, long ago."

Santana stayed silent, her heart still pounding a mile a minute as she waited for Quinn to continue.

"Her name was Rachel, and she had a voice that I could never get tired of, no matter how often she sang," the blonde chuckled, "and boy did she sing; a lot."

Gulping audibly, her face burning up, Santana thanked the cover of the night's darkness as she whispered roughly, "What happened to her?"

"She left me."

Santana growled in a surprisingly defensive manner, "She what?"

"She left me," Quinn repeated quietly, "for someone else. I guess it wasn't so much for someone else, since we never had really established anything, but she used to sit on the edge of the pier and sing, every day. I would swim and hide beneath the pier and just listen, but one day, she stopped coming by. Days turned into weeks, and even though I showed up each day, I never heard her voice until about a month after, and she actually spoke directly to me."

Santana turned slightly to face Quinn, "What'd she say?"

"She said, _I know you're there listening, but I'm sorry. This is goodbye._ So actually, I don't even know what it was, but she knew I was there. I don't know if she was singing for herself, or singing to me, but after she said goodbye, I never heard from her again."

The dark-haired girl chuckled in spite of the story, "So you guys weren't actually together."

Quinn sighed and rolled her eyes, a small smile creeping up on her face, "Okay well if you put it that way, then no, we weren't. But I love music, and her voice was incredible, and it felt like she was singing just to me. After she spoke to me, it legitimately felt like she really was. To be honest, that is also why I took an interest in you, since you have an amazing voice that reminded me of her despite your different, unique styles."

Santana smiled and chuckled, "I guess that makes me feel pretty flattered then, to know that I have such a mind-blowing voice that I can attract mythological mermaids and shit."

The blonde hugged her closer, "Stop it, your tremendous modesty is overwhelming."

Smirking to herself, Santana was about to reply but was cut off abruptly as her phone began to vibrate. Pulling out her cellphone, the front screen was lit up with a familiar photo and large, bold print flashing the letter "B" over and over. She bit her lip, her vision suddenly clouding up with tears that she never wanted to shed again, until a pair of soft lips met her cheek. She whipped her head to the side, a small trickle already making its way down her face as she met with a strong pair of hazel eyes. The phone continued to buzz like an offensive bee, demanding her attention, but Quinn's gaze was holding her together. It was the only thing keeping her from completely losing it. She grit her teeth, sucking in shallow breaths of air as her eyebrows knit together frantically.

"Why now?" breathed Santana.

The buzzing stopped, and the phone's backlight faded to dark, the only sound being the ever-constant ebb and flow of the waves. Quinn pulled her into a full hug, their bodies pressed so close that it was hard to distinguish where one body started and the other ended. She buried her face into the rich, dark locks of hair and held tight.

"Everything will be alright," Quinn whispered. Of course she didn't know that for certain, but it was what Santana needed to hear, and she'd be there to do her damn best to make sure it happened.

The phone lit up again, this time from a text message. Santana shakily reached for her phone and opened it up:

_San, i made a mistake, but i think i'm slowly fixing it. _

_Things with Mike are going great, but i miss you too. _

_Ur my best friend. Can we go back to the way things were before?_

She clutched the phone so tight her knuckles turned pale. She didn't know if it was anger, or resentment, or even bitterness, but it was just an indescribable feeling that was gripping her chest. It was a feeling that had held her heart like an iron fist, but she couldn't quite place what it was. Santana was actually _happy_ to hear that Brittany was doing alright on her own, but also knowing that she was doing fine _without _her was messing with her in some way that she couldn't pinpoint.

Quinn wrenched the phone from her grasp and threw it far away into the sand. She stood up and began to walk into the water before turning around and outstretching her hand. Wordlessly, Santana accepted it, and was hoisted off the sand, her hand intertwined with the blonde's. The two of them went deeper into the water, Santana not even caring that her clothing was getting soaked through, and as they went farther into the water, Quinn's legs morphed back into the typical tail that was trademark of the mermaids.

Santana was standing chest deep in the water before she found her voice again. Tears were streaming down her face noiselessly as she shook her head, "What am I even doing here?"

Quinn approached her and stopped a mere foot in front of the Latina. She paused momentarily before speaking up.

"Come with me."

Santana's eyes opened up slowly, her vision still blurred. She wasn't completely sure that she had heard right, but when she examined Quinn's dead set expression, she realized that the blonde wasn't joking.

"What?" she breathed out.

"Come with me," Quinn repeated.

Santana's mouth opened and closed without a sound, like a fish out of water, looking for the right words. The tears were still pooling in her eyes as she finally was able to reply.

"I can't."

"Why?"

The dark-haired girl had replied out of instinct, out of fear of the unknown. There were so many things she would be leaving behind, but when she thought further about it, there actually wasn't much. Brittany had been her main goal in life, as well as her entire future; she was her everything.

"Running away won't solve anything," murmured Santana.

Quinn looked at her with conviction and concern, "So you'll stay here and try to fix everything on your own?"

Santana looked into the deep hazel eyes before dropping her gaze. She exhaled deeply and sighed, "I don't even know you."

Quinn got closer until their bodies were pressed up close, and whether it was from the contact of her silky smooth skin, or the freezing cold water, Santana shivered and took in shallow breaths as the blonde whispered almost inaudibly, her breath tickling her tan skin.

"We'll have the rest of our lives for that, if you'd let me."

After a few brief moments of tense silence, Quinn closed the gap and pressed her lips to meet Santana's. At first, the Latina didn't know what was going on, but as soon as she registered the soft lips against hers, she deepened the kiss and wrapped her arms around the slim blonde. She ran her hands up and down her skin, and god did it feel good. It might have been the fact of what Quinn was, but her skin felt so soft and it was even smoother than she had imagined it ever would be. Santana slipped her tongue into Quinn's mouth and the normally composed blonde whimpered into the kiss.

It was then that Santana could feel herself begin to change physically. Her legs were beginning to feel increasingly odd, but once she realized what was going on, she didn't care anymore. The blonde broke off the kiss briefly, her cheeks flush and her breathing short. She locked eyes with Santana and smiled.

"Let's go."

And with that, the two of them made their way out to deeper waters, though at a slower pace as Santana got accustomed to her new self. She didn't know what life would be like down below, but she surprisingly wasn't afraid at the notion of the unknown because she was comfortable with the fact that she would be spending it with Quinn Fabray.


End file.
